Harbor Side, Foster City, CA

Street by street, Harbor Side puts more people on the water than almost any other neighborhood in Foster City. You will find a mix here: single family homes, townhouses, and condos, which is unusual for a neighborhood this waterfront-heavy and one reason it is a more attainable way into lagoon living than the isles in Carmel Village. Harbor Side residents love their boats. The electric Duffy is basically the neighborhood mascot, tied up behind most of the lakeside homes, and even some of the lakeside townhomes come with the right to dock one. On a warm Saturday the lagoon out here looks less like a suburb and more like a very quiet marina. Farragut Park is the neighborhood's green center and it is well kept, with manicured landscaping, flowering plants, and a playground that has been remodeled recently. Neighbors are quietly protective of it. What Harbor Side does not have is any commercial space whatsoever. Not a coffee shop, not a corner store, nothing. Every errand is a drive, though Beach Park Boulevard runs straight out of the neighborhood and puts the rest of Foster City's shopping within a few minutes. That is the deal you are making. Harbor Side is purely residential and purely waterfront, and it stays quiet precisely because there is no reason for anyone who does not live here to drive through it. Some people find that restful. Some people find it isolating. It is worth being honest with yourself about which one you are before you write the offer.